Hepatitis C By far the most important cause of hepatitis is infection from one or more of the hepatitis viruses, often accompanied by an unhealthy lifestyle and other factors that encourage virus overgrowth. Of the hepatitis viruses, hepatitis C is emerging in many industrialized countries as a slowly developing liver infection that leads to chronic, active hepatitis. The primary source of hepatitis C infection is needle-sharing among drug addicts, and the secondary source is blood transfusion. Although it is unknown how many people are infected, it is likely to be in the millions in the United States alone. Hepatitis C is especially insidious because it often takes years for infected people to demonstrate symptoms. By the time the infection is diagnosed, extensive liver damage can already have occurred. Many people are concerned that hepatitis C may be transmitted to spouses or sexual partners. Several studies conclude that unprotected sex, even with partners who are antibody-positive to the hepatitis C virus, does not increase the risk of contracting the disease, or that such contraction is rare (Scully et al, 1993; Gordon et al, 1992). The authors of one study conclude that
Two other studies suggest that sexual transmission of HCV is possible, but probably not a major cause of infection. In the first study, researchers found only a slightly increased risk among 340 patient volunteers (Osmond et al, 1993). In the second study, partners of HCV-positive subjects were four times more likely to be HCV-positive than those with sexual partners who were not HCV-positive. To rule out other risk factors contributing to these results, the researchers checked the identity of the RNA from virus samples of each person and found only a 12% higher match between the samples from sexual partners as for random samples (Thomas et al, 1995). HCV genetic material has been detected in saliva, semen, and vaginal discharges by one group of researchers, but not by others (Zhao et al, 1995). There is a suggestion here that the longer sexual partners are together, the greater the risk of the disease being transmitted. As a clinical herbalist and acupuncturist, I have specialized in this form of hepatitis and have worked with many patients suffering from it. Over the years I have observed that many people with hepatitis C can heal their livers and enjoy long, healthy lives when they utilize the total program for health described in this book. < return to intro to next excerpt >
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